The Earth As a Stage

Some people have a perspective about our home planet that transcends simply being an inhabitant on it.

Some people have successfully unchained themselves from Earth’s atmosphere and traveled beyond it’s life giving boundaries into the uncharted territory of space.

Some people have had the privilege of looking back at the earth from space, the way their fellow inhabitants can only stand on it, safely tethered in the arms of gravity, gazing up at the moon and stars…wondering.

Such people often have informed opinions about our planet that we would do well to consider.

One of these people, NASA Astronaut and venerated space explorer Jim Lovell shared some important thoughts during a recent episode of the PBS show “Museum Access” filmed at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, Illinois.

When asked what it was like the first time he saw the earth from space, he explained how he was able to place his thumb against the window and block out the view of the earth, home to six billion people who were all striving for the same things.

This was a powerful metaphor for me, that one man could obliterate the view of the planet that is the only known home to man, six billion humans, using just his thumb.

It spoke to me of the power of mankind–how terrible it can be in it’s destructive power, how incredible it can be when used constructively, as it was in the space program.

To me, NASA represents some of the best collaborative efforts and finest achievements of mankind.

Mr. Lovell went on to say that we hear the story that people tell of how they hope to get to heaven when they die. He believes that we get to heaven when we are born.

We are born onto a planet with the correct atmosphere, the correct gravitational pull, the correct distance from the sun, the correct elements, to support life.

Heaven indeed.

Jim Lovell’s final thoughts on Earth were the most revealing, inspirational, and to me, somewhat distressing thoughts he shared.